


Skye: Shards of the Past (An Amorous Fanfic)

by InsurrectionAlpha



Category: Amorous (Visual Novel)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:53:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24800356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InsurrectionAlpha/pseuds/InsurrectionAlpha
Summary: A birthday visit to Club Amorous lands Skye a new Room Mate in the mysterious Viktor Vasili, but Skye quickly learns this Human hides a dark secret. Viktor is a man with a burning anger and a past he can't forget, and on meeting Skye, slowly realizes she may be the answer. Will Skye risk her heart for a man she hardly knows? Will he become her soulmate? In a time where enemies are closer than they realize... who can say? Questions quickly outpace answers, and as Skye gets to know this mysterious man with glowing blue eyes, she comes to realize that we all have a past, and damn few of us have reason to be proud of it...
Relationships: Skye & OC
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Skye**

**Shards of the Past**

**An Amorous Fanfic**

Prologue

_ Pain... _

_… Agony..._

_… His hatred burns across countless stars! Worlds heave with his torment! Kingdoms quake beneath his rage! The whole of many lands will break, and all will burn beneath the shadow of his wings! But he was not always like this. He was once a good person. He even had a name. Viktor Vasili. He was born to a good family. But the story of his past is for you to learn. All that will be said here is that when he was between childhood and adolescence, it all turned on him. He became alone, forsaken – misunderstood and reviled. He was tormented by his peers for what he was. As fate would have it, there was another who had this same problem._

_Her name was Skye. Born a gray fox with a love of Cosplay, she was a tomboy who had a rough time as a child. Picked on and harassed because she was different. She now fears going out into the world, lest she be misunderstood again. Living with her parents, she took a job at a restaurant to make money, and spends her time coming up with new looks. Her friends all like them, but how much do they like her as a person? A question that burns like the brightest star. Deep down, she wonders if she’d ever find anyone that likes her as a person. Fate, it seems, has plans to answer that question._

_On the eve of Skye’s birthday, Viktor and Skye are set on a path that will define them both..._

* * *

Skye sat in front of a mirror, finalizing the details on her fur. “A birthday surprise,” her friend, Lindsey, kept saying on the phone. “You’ll love it. You’ll have a good time.” But if there was one thing Skye knew about Lindsey, it was that her version of “A good time” was significantly different than Skye’s. Over in the corner, her personal TV unit was streaming the news: The Canine Reporter was on the screen, talking about some recent closing of a small island just off the beach.

_ “Authorities still are refusing to comment on just what lead to the closing, and there’s no indication they ever will. For now, all we know is that the small island has been claimed by an unidentified party for reasons unknown. With the beach temporarily locked off and now the Island declared off-limits, that’s bad news for many--” _

“That’s quite enough of that, thank you,” Skye commented, hitting the power button on the remote and switching off the TV. It was then that Skye’s mother – Jillian – poked her head in the door. “Your friends are here, Skye – you ready?”

_ Holy fuck that was fast, _ Skye thought.  _ Must have misjudged how long it’d take them to get here. _ No time to do the rest of the look; she’d have to improvise... but how...? She cast a glance at that Renamon jacket, then thought,  _ Fuck it, _ and threw it on. This was gonna be a winter look, anyway. She headed out to her Lindsey’s car, and was a little surprised to see Joe and Marlene in the back seat. Front passenger seat was empty. Lindsey motioned her to get in.

“Come on, Skye! Get in!” she urged. Skye complied, and sat in the front seat, immediately throwing on the seat belt. The second she finished, she found a blindfold over her eyes.

“What the hell...?!” she protested.

“Skye, this is supposed to be a surprise – I don’t want you to see till we get there! You’re gonna love it, Skye!” Lindsey assured her.

“I better,” Skye jested. “Just promise me it won’t be like last year...”

“That  _ wasn’t _ our fault, Skye,” Joe said. “And besides, we have Hane and Lexy meeting us there.”

“Yeah, Jake would have a tough time with Hane alone – you know how built he is,” Lindsey added. Skye felt the car lurch slightly as it backed out of the driveway, and get moving. Skye had no idea how much time had passed as she sat, blindfolded, in the passenger seat. She tried to get hints at where they were going, but to no avail. Didn’t matter. From how her friends spoke, she was supposedly gonna love it. When she heard faint pop music that got louder, she started getting an idea. She felt Lindsey park the car, and she was escorted toward from the car to a specific spot.

“This her? The birthday girl?” asked a gruff male voice.

“Yep,” Lindsey answered.

“Well, happy birthday and welcome to Club Amorous!” the man said.

“Wait, what?!” Skye responded as the blindfold was taken off. When her eyes adjusted, she found herself standing at the entrance to a club. A Night Club. She was immediately disappointed. “Seriously? Your birthday surprise was a  _ Night Club?! _ ”

Hane, who was standing nearby – Skye didn’t even see him – sighed. “Skye, you need to branch out a little. Get out of your comfort zone, if only a little. Try new things. Who knows? You might make some new friends in here.”

“And the last place Jake would think to look for you is here,” Marlene suggested. Skye opened her mouth to protest, but stopped. Marlene had a point there – Skye knew Jake well enough to know he wouldn’t set foot in a club like this. The music was good – in fact, she thought she could hear one of her favorite songs starting to play. And her friends were here. It was when she cast a look inside, while the doors were briefly open, that she caught a glimpse of something inside – something she felt didn’t belong. The instant she saw it, whatever it was, she was hit with a peculiar sense – like she was supposed to be here, though she knew not why.

“Well...” she started. She paused, then snapped to her normal self. “Well, let’s see what we can do in here. Maybe I’ll meet someone new!”

“That’s the spirit!” Lexy heartily agreed. They all headed inside, and Skye kept an eye out for whatever it was she saw earlier. There were the usual party-goers here, hot girls and hunky guys gripping neon light tubes and wearing skimpy summer clothes. She happened to cast a glance at the bar when she was hit with that strange sensation from before – when her eyes settled on a person who, like her, did not belong in the club in the least. She wasn’t sure who he was – he was human, and he wore a black, hooded cloak, and he was filling a glass of ice with this blue drink she’d never seen before. What was that, she wondered?

“See anything catching your eye?” Hane asked. Skye never took her eyes off the man at the bar.

“Possibly,” She responded. She felt drawn to this character. She walked over beside him, and got a good look at the drink he had – the bottle seemed to refill itself – she was gonna have to ask about that later – and it was emblazoned with an odd symbol that seemed familiar, in some way; a logo of a bird, half colored green, the other half colored blue, clutching two orbs. An odd symbol, but Skye felt it was almost familiar. “Mind if I sit here?” she asked, indicating a vacant bar stool. The man looked up at her, and Skye saw his eyes – narrow, black sits surrounded by a churning blue pool hidden behind a blue glow in his eyes that seemed to radiate ice. It almost made Skye glad she was wearing a jacket – she could almost feel the cold, somehow. The man gestured to the stool, and returned his head to his hand. Skye sat down without hesitation. The man never made a sound, just sipped his drink. It was then that Skye noticed he seemed a bit tired. In fact, the more she looked at him, she noticed he looked  _ exhausted _ . Deciding to break the ice a little, Skye spoke: “You must have traveled a long way to get here, huh?”

The man opened his eyes, and looked to her, but didn’t speak. He looked her up and down, as though sizing her up. Skye couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable at this. Did this man even--? “It has been a long journey, yes,” he finally said. “A  _ very _ long journey. With any luck, I am hoping to finally settle here.”

“That right?” Skye responded on an impulse.

“Yes...” The man said. He looked Skye dead in the eyes and asked, “You live in this region, you must know the area – what can you tell me about it?”

Skye was a bit taken aback. He was asking her? Odd. “Well, I grew up around here; it’s a great place to live. Especially if you’re the type for girls in bikinis and hunky guys in swim shorts at the beach... and damn near everywhere else, here, now that I think about it,” Skye replied. The man gave a thoughtful “Hmm” as he shifted his arms to grab his bottle, and Skye caught a glimpse of something beneath his cloak – a metallic glint. Acting on it, she asked, “Forgive me, but... are you dressed as any particular character? Cosplay is a thing for me, you know.”

The man chuckled softly. “I can see why you’d think that. This outfit could constitute as Cosplay.”

Skye raised an eyebrow. “It’s not Cosplay?” She asked.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” the man stated, taking another sip of his drink. Now Skye felt this man was hiding something. Either that, or he was acting in character. Quite convincingly, in fact. She wouldn’t judge him.

“If you were Cosplaying... who are you Cosplaying as?” She asked. The man again chuckled.

“You could say I am dressed as a... Rogue Sith Lord,” he responded.

“Oh, a Star Wars fan, huh?” Skye chuckled back. “Now there’s an interesting thought... never thought to try Star Wars in my Cosplay.”

“Not really that hard, when you think about it,” the man stated. “By the way, I don’t think I got you name...?”

Dammit!  _ Where are my manners?! _ Skye thought. “Oh, sorry! My name’s Skye Hudson,” she introduced herself. She extended a hand. The man gripped it in his own.

“Viktor Vasili,” he introduced himself. “What brings you here? This hardly seems the place for a Cosplayer.”

“I could say the same about you,” Skye replied. “No, my friends brought me here for my birthday. Said I needed to branch out a bit, meet new people.”

“That right? Happy birthday,” Viktor stated. “As for me... well, something told me I should be here.” He sipped his drink and fixed his gaze on Skye. “And it’s starting to make sense, now that I’ve met you.”

“Yeah, this place isn’t exactly my comfort zone,” Skye replied. “I’m not normally one for clubs like this.”

“Neither am I,” Viktor agreed. He paused for a moment. “Hnh. Seems we both were drawn here.” He growled softly and murmured, “But to what end...?” In a bizarre turn of events, he immediately afterward winced, as though in sudden pain, and Skye was hit with an extremely cold chill that gave her the impression something was  _ wrong _ . Playing it off, she asked,

“So, you’re looking to settle here? You spot any houses that catch your interest in your time here so far?”

“One – but I am not at liberty to discuss that,” Viktor responded, his tone that of a man suddenly worried.

“Are you alright?” Skye asked in concern. “You seem awfully tense, all of a sudden. Is something wrong?”

“I’m not sure,” Viktor admitted. “But I fear I may have stayed here too long.” He slapped some cash on the counter, and paused, looking at Skye. The way he looked at her made Skye feel as though he was unwilling to leave her company. “You have any way I can get in contact with you later?”

Skye was blown away. He was asking her for her number? “Yeah!” Skye enthusiastically responded. She jotted down her number on a piece of paper and handed it to Viktor. “Call me anytime!” Viktor accepted the number and slipped it in a pocket, and headed for the door. And just like that, he was gone. Skye was elated, if a bit worried. She had done what her friends wanted – met someone new. And he seemed like a guy she’d have a lot in common with. At the same time, however, she got the impression he didn’t tell her everything. But, that was to be expected – she’d just met him. It was then that Hane approached her.

“And who was that?” he asked.

“That was Viktor. He just got here to this region, looking to settle here,” Skye said. “But I get the impression he’s more than his appearance lets on.”

“Given that outfit, I’d imagine he’s a Cosplayer?” Hane joked.

“If he is, he’s got real talent; he could win big at the convention. Said that... well, he said he’s dressed as a Rogue Sith Lord,” Skye said with a beaming smile.

“Ohhh, ho-ho, beware the dark side!” Hane laughed. Skye couldn’t help but laugh, herself. Considering she met potentially another Cosplayer, Skye felt that this Birthday was alright, after all. She stayed at Amorous a while longer, but eventually called it a night and they group went for the car. It was as they were approaching it that they came across something they were not prepared to see: A group of thugs were nearby, standing over the body of...

_ No, _ Skye thought. The outfit, the attire of the person they were standing over...  _ It was Viktor! _ “What are we gonna do?” One asked.

“Yeah, man, no one said anything about murder!” another said.

“Can it,” the ringleader snarled. “He got what he deserved.”

“Did he?” another thug asked, clearly nervous. “This wasn’t supposed to end this way!”

One of the thugs looked over and noticed Skye. “Hey, look – we got witnesses,” he said, motioning his head in Skye’s direction. The others looked over, and saw her standing there. Skye was paralyzed. She wanted to run, but couldn’t move.

“Guess we need to teach this one to mind her own business!” the ringleader sneered. It was as they started for her that Viktor glowed briefly with a strange light, and started moving. The thugs didn’t seem to notice, and Skye was relieved, but at the same time afraid. They all had blades – and wore the same mark. A red gauntlet holding a blade. She had heard of this group.

The Red Blades. “Time to teach you a lesson!” the ringleader stated. But before he could close the distance between him and Skye, there was a blood-curdling war cry from Viktor, and he leapt inhumanly high in the air, landing between Skye and the thugs. Then, he launched his arms forward, and the entire group was sent tumbling to the ground. Viktor’s breathing was heavy and raspy, and he gestured with his right hand. In an instant, a small, ornate cylindrical item flew into his hand.  _ Is that...? _ Skye thought. Her question was answered when an Imperial Crimson blade flared with a  _ snap-hiss!  _ That was, indeed, a Lightsaber. Leaping in to the air with a snarl that carried a hellish screech, Viktor went on the attack, and engaged the Red Blade gang, swinging his blade in exaggerated, enraged, but still practiced and precise arcs. The Red Blades couldn’t keep up; Viktor was just too fast. One thing was made abundantly clear to Skye: Viktor knew how to handle himself. In an instant, he reached out with his free hand, and a  _ second _ lightsaber went active. If Viktor was fast before with one blade, he was a  _ blur _ with two. One after the other, the thugs were dispatched, until only one was left. But Viktor’s attention wasn’t on that one:  _ He was looking straight at Skye! _ Skye had no idea why she felt he wouldn’t hurt her. She slowly held out a hand, as though to show she wasn’t armed. “Easy, Viktor,” she calmly stated. “I am not your enemy. Put it down, pal... I won’t hurt you.” Viktor growled, but made no hostile gesture. “You know me... you know who I am. Don’t you?” Viktor stood his ground, even as the thug behind him stopped shaking. “Listen to my voice, Viktor... I’m not gonna hurt you. I am not your enemy. I’m a friend; I’m  _ your _ friend. You know my name. What’s my name?”

Skye had almost close the distance between herself and Viktor when he spoke, his voice having a mechanical thrum to it,  _ “Skye...” _ But just before she could get to him, a gunshot rang out, and Viktor’s shoulder exploded in a spatter of green fluid. He cried out, and his face contorted into an expression of rage, and he leapt after the last thug with a roar that was not human in the slightest, a roar that could only come from one logical source:

Dragon.

He engaged the last thug, and put him down. When Skye looked around, she noticed the thugs were not dead – just incapacitated. When the last hostile went down, Viktor dropped to one knee, clutching his wounded shoulder, and collapsed.

_ “Someone call 911!”  _ Somebody shouted. Skye ran to Viktor’s side, and was shocked he was still breathing. His wound bled a phosphoric green fluid that seemed to glow. Human blood was not this color – Skye knew that. She’d known humans. So either this man was from another dimension, or this man was not human. Viktor managed to open one eye and look up at Skye, who was kneeling before him.

“Kill me or leave me... I’m dead either way,” he said hoarsely. Hane was the first at Skye’s side.

“Skye, we gotta get this guy to a hospital!” he told her. Skye said nothing, her attention fixed on Viktor. She ran a hand over his cheek, then told him,

“You’re not gonna die... not on my watch.” She then went to grab his arm, heft it over her shoulder, and lift him up. “Mom and dad are gonna love this...”


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

Skye restlessly paced in the hospital lobby. Her mother and father were on the way, and Hane and Lexy were present with Skye. It had been fully three hours since the incident. Skye should be tired at this hour, but the adrenaline rush that was present when seeing Viktor fight at the club was still there. In her hands were Viktor’s lightsabers, which she had held onto while Viktor went in with the doctors. She still was surprised that she was able to get through to Viktor in his combat-induced rage. Even Lexy was surprised. Hane took it as a sign, and remained optimistic; Lexy, however, maintained that, in the time that it took to get Viktor from the club to this hospital, he’d lost a lot of blood, and therefore, was unlikely to survive.

“... I’m sorry, Skye, but the odds are too great – I don’t think he’s gonna make it,” Lexy said.

“You’re  _ not _ helping, Lexy!” Hane growled.

“Well, what do you want me to say?” Lexy responded defensively.

“He’s gonna make it,” Skye said softly. “He has to. He’s a hardy fellow.”

“You don’t know that, Skye,” Lexy discounted.

“Lexy...  _ enough _ ,” Hane again growled.

“Skye!” came the voice of Skye’s mother. Skye looked over to the doorway and saw her mother and her father – Jack – walking over to her. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, mom – but I’m not worried about me, right now,” Skye answered.

“We heard,” Jack said. “The guy that protected you and your friends from the Red Blades – is he okay?”

“We don’t know,” Lexy stated. “Skye and Hane think he’ll pull through, but I don’t think he will; he lost too much blood on the way over here.” In an aside directed at no one in particular, he added, “Gonna take forever to clean that out of the seat...”

“How bad were his injuries?” Jack asked.

“He was severely beaten and stabbed, and in the fight, one of the gang shot him through the shoulder,” Skye admitted.

“But he was alive when he arrived here?” Jack queried.

“Yes,” Skye replied.

“No telling how long he’ll stay that--” Lexy began.

“Excuse me, which one of you is Skye Hudson?” one of the nurses asked. Skye raised her hand.

“That’s me... is... is Viktor alright?”

The nurse hesitated, and for a moment, Skye feared she’d say... “Your friend will survive. We don’t know what kept him alive, but he’ll live,” she told her. Skye breathed a sigh of relief.

“Can I see him?” she inquired softly.

“Of course – follow me,” the nurse answered. Skye and her parents followed the nurse, with Hane and Lexy close by.

“Not gonna survive, huh?” Hane whispered to Lexy.

“I didn’t think he would,” Lexy said. “He lost a lot of blood.”

“You can be such a doomsayer, sometimes,” Hane teased.

“Bite me,” Lexy grumbled. The group was lead through the hospital halls and into one particular room, where Viktor lay sleeping.

“He’s still out cold,” Skye commented.

“Well, we tried giving him a sedative when we went to operate, but it wouldn’t knock him out,” the nurse said, “The surgeon tried to up the dose, and it still had no effect. He finally snapped and gave him what  _ should  _ have been a lethal dose, and it finally put him out, but he was still alive, so we were able to operate.”

Skye’s eyes went wide. “He did  _ what _ ?!” she said quietly with evident surprise.

“Hey, I wasn’t there – but the lethal dose knocked him out and we were able to patch him up,” the nurse said defensively. “But that’s not the only crazy thing – the blood loss alone should have killed him. Between that and several wounds that should have been fatal, your friend has got to be the most resilient patient ever to come here.”

Skye paused after hearing this. While most would be surprised to hear Viktor had survived being given a lethal dose of sedatives, Skye had heard that Jedi – and Sith, for that matter – could endure such a dose. But wounds that should have been fatal – Skye now got the impression Viktor was more than what was on the surface. She slowly approached his side, seeing the multitude of bandages over his injuries, and several patches over his heart.  _ He should not have survived those, _ Skye thought. Just what the hell  _ was _ he? Skye didn’t get a chance to ponder this long – the monitor beeped suddenly, then again, and again, followed by one alarm after the other as Viktor’s vitals spiked, and all indications were he was waking up – violently. Alarms were sounding so loud, it might as well have been sirens in Paris. Nurses quickly went to Viktor’s side, just before he awoke with a rage-filled, yet still terrified scream, as though waking from a terrible nightmare. In an instant, the nurses and doctors were sent sprawling to the floor as he shouted,

_ “What the hell are you DOING TO ME?!” _

Skye instinctively put herself between him and one of the nurses, and put both her hands out. “It wasn’t them, it was me! I brought you here!” she told him. Hearing Skye’s voice – and seeing her – caused Viktor to pause. His breathing was highly erratic, and he stared at her, but never made a move. Skye instinctively held out Viktor’s lightsabers, and he frowned. In an instant, he reached out, and both hilts flew into his hands. But instead of activating them, he again paused. He looked to them, then Skye, and back before looking to Skye and saying,

“You play a dangerous game... returning a man’s weapons when he’s already feeling panicked.”

“I figured you didn’t want anyone else messing with them, and that having those would make you feel a little more secure... and besides, if you wanted to hurt me, you’d have done so long ago,” Skye said confidently, though she didn’t know where this confidence came from. Viktor shuddered, and looked a little unsteady on his feet. Just before losing his balance, Skye went over and caught him mid-fall. “Easy, Viktor... you need to rest.” She helped him back in the bed, where the nurses and doctors reattached the IV tubes and monitoring equipment. With Skye at his side, Viktor made no effort to resist them, clutching his lightsabers like a child clutching his favorite blanket. Once they were finished and left, Skye remained with him.

“You should not have saved me,” he told her softly.

“You were bleeding and dying on the street after a terrible fight,” Skye countered. “What else was I gonna do?”

“Leave me,” Viktor said. “Most people would have, after seeing that kind of rage.”

“Well, even my parents admit I’m not like most others,” Skye responded. “I wasn’t gonna leave you like that. I couldn’t.”

“You should have,” Viktor stated. “Seeing another elevated often brings the eyes of others who suffer. I sense that there will be others who will find fault in your decision.”

Skye was tempted to ask how he knew this, but thought better of it – he had his reasons. She had hers. And she felt she may get him, in time, to open up and share with her why he evidently wanted to die. In time. For now, she just accepted that he was more than what was on the surface, and he had reasons for the way he was. But one thing she did want to know... “Viktor... just how did you survive such fatal wounds?” There was a good thirty second pause before Viktor sighed.

“I wish I knew...” he answered. “For now, chalk it up to my... curse... and leave it at that.”

Skye mentally frowned. A curse? Like what, undeath? He certainly didn’t look anything like the undead. But when she looked at his blue-glowing eyes, she felt that was somehow connected to it. But she decided not to push; she just met him. It was then that another thought came to mind. “Do you have a place to stay?” Skye asked.

“My ship,” Viktor replied. “Though my crew will be unable to beam me aboard at present; transporters went offline shortly after I came here. Well, here to the surface.”

“Where is your ship?” Skye inquired.

“Hidden,” Viktor sighed. “In a place not far from here. But for security reasons, you understand, I cannot say where.”

“Of course,” Skye agreed. “It’s your ship, and you undoubtedly have reason to want to hide it. Which brings me to offer... you could stay with me. At least until you’re fit to travel again. Or beam aboard your ship.”

This earned her surprised looks from Skye’s parents and a mildly surprised look from Viktor. “That’s... surprisingly selfless of you, Skye.”

“I agree,” Her father added. “You just met the guy.”

“Chalk it up to instinct and kindness, dad,” Skye said. She looked to him and her mother. “You and mom both promised you wouldn’t stop me from making my decisions as an adult – learn from my own mistakes.”

“Which is why I am not making any effort to stop you in this decision,” Jack told her. He paused, then queried, “Are you sure you wanna do this?”

“I am,” Skye said without hesitation. She looked to Viktor. “Besides... it’ll be fun to share ideas together.”

Viktor was unmoved. “But you saw it yourself – I’m no Cosplayer. I may look the part, but that’s on the surface.”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t come up with ideas – as I said, I never tried Star Wars in my Cosplay,” Skye said. “Maybe you can help me find new looks and ideas. You’ve seen a lot, I’m sure. Maybe you can help me do a look I haven’t tried before.” Viktor’s eyes moved away from Skye, as though tossing the idea around his head. He gave a thoughtful “Hm,” before his gaze returned to Skye.

“I imagine there would be some advantage to that, yes – a step toward integrating myself into this society,” he said. “You are correct in saying that I have seen a lot – but heed my warning, many of the things I have seen... left marks. Lasting marks.” He tapped two fingers to his temple. Skye got the implication. “Regardless... I will accept your offer, so long as you understand it will be a long... road.”

“I didn’t think it’d be a short one,” Skye said. She smiled broadly, physically and mentally – in the span of a few hours, she’d met a guy and convinced him to move in with her, even if only for a little while. She remained with Viktor for a time, but eventually returned home, but not before promising to pick Viktor up from the hospital when he was on his feet again. This, she felt, would be the beginning of a new journey – not just for her...

… but for  _ him _ , as well.

* * *

Viktor’s recovery was remarkable, but given what he was, Skye found it understandable. So, only a few days after the incident, Viktor was released from the hospital, but doctors recommended he remain at-rest for at least two weeks. Jack and Jillian talked almost incessantly about Viktor living with Skye, offering tips and advice. Skye was happy to have that – though she was concerned about her father inadvertently driving Viktor away. Viktor, Skye felt, was a lot like her – though she was unclear as to how she knew this, much less why she felt that way. Instinct, perhaps? Or intuition – she couldn’t be sure. All she knew, as she drove to the hospital, was that she was going to have a roommate for the first time. It was exciting, for her – and scary. She was all but certain he had nightmares of his past, as evidenced by what happened at the hospital the night she met him.

So, as Skye was pulling in to pick Viktor up, not only was he waiting for her on a bench outside, he was armed with an assault rifle Skye had never seen before. It was a metallic black color with glowing green outlines and a standard magazine arrangement. The magazine was clearly an extended capacity variant, and the weapon had a holographic sight. The stock, apparently collapsible, was fully extended. Viktor held the weapon down and to his left, with the butt of the stock resting beneath his right shoulder. Skye wondered just what he needed an assault rifle for when he had lightsabers and the Force. She stopped before him, and without hesitation, got out and helped him into the passenger seat.

“Packing some heavy firepower, huh?” Skye commented in an effort to make conversation as she pulled out of the hospital.

“Always do,” Viktor affirmed.

“May I ask why?” Skye asked.

Viktor chuckled as he put his weapon down butt first on the floorboard so he could put his seat belt on. “You don't survive among the stars as long as I have without being armed and equipped for anything that might come your way,” he answered. “Besides, it is an axiom of mine that, 'It is better to have something and not need it, than to need it and not have it'.” Skye got the vehicle moving as she briefly pondered Viktor's quote. It certainly was an interesting axiom, but Skye had to admit, it made sense. It was then that Skye had another thought.

“Before... you mentioned having a ship,” she said. “What... what kind of ship is it?”

Viktor chuckled. “It's a scaled-up variant of an RCS-class Armored Cruiser; heavily upgraded, heavily modified, with a cloaking device and enough firepower to level this entire city in minutes, and no one would know anything about it until it was all over,” he said.

“Scary,” Skye commented.

“Don't be,” Viktor responded. “I'm not one to do that, even when enraged.”

“How big is the ship?” Skye queried.

“Eight kilometers,” Viktor answered as he sat back in his seat. “So between the ship's size and the firepower I described, you can imagine...”

“... that the ship has a  _ lot _ of weaponry and uncommon tech for a ship that you described your ship was based on,” Skye finished. Viktor smiled and chuckled.

“You catch on fast,” he complimented her. There was a pause in the conversation, before Viktor posed a question of his own: “Since I'm going to be basically living with you, I gotta ask; where am I sleeping?”

“I have a couple spare rooms in my domicile,” Skye answered. “Both have good, comfy beds.”

“Domicile?” Viktor repeated. “I had been under the impression you live with your parents.”

“Technically, I do – but for my eighteenth birthday, my parents heavily renovated the house and turned my room into my own domicile,” Skye explained. “I cannot say I fully understand the tech they used to do so, but I will admit it was incredible.”

“So, in other words, you have a house within your parents' house,” Viktor surmised. “Nifty.”

The conversation was interrupted when the comm unit in Viktor's gauntlet went active:  _ “Admiral 'Vadam to Lord-Admiral Vasili,”  _ spoke a deep-accented male voice. Viktor tapped a couple buttons on his gauntlet and responded,

"Vasili here."

_ "Sir, operations reports transporters are back online; we can beam you back, sir,"  _ the voice reported. Viktor blinked a few times, the looked to Skye. Skye had her fears - but she felt...  _ "Shall we beam you back, sir?" _

Viktor paused, then replied, "Negative. I'll explain later - suffice it to say... I'm moving in with a room mate."

This time, the voice on the other side paused.  _ "The one that rescued you when you were wounded?" _

"The very same," Viktor affirmed.

_ "If you are present, madame, I will strongly advise you be extremely careful; the Lord-Admiral has seen more than he lets on, and he is far more scarred than he will admit. I do not wish him to be any more scarred than he already is," _ the voice said.

"Not to worry, Admiral - your Lord-Admiral is in good hands," Skye assured him.

_ "I hope so - Admiral 'Vadam out," _ Admiral 'Vadam said, before the transmission was ended.

"Who was that?" Skye asked.

"My XO - Admiral Thel 'Vadam," Viktor replied. "Not to be confused with his live counterpart,  _ Kaidon _ Thel 'Vadam. Admiral 'Vadam is a hologram version of the real one, and to tell the difference, Admiral 'Vadam wears a modded variant of Thel's old Arbiter armor."

There was another pause before Skye asked, "Admiral 'Vadam is more than your second-in-command, isn't he?"

"Do you always ask this many questions?" Viktor fired back.

"No - just trying to make conversation, that's all," Skye answered.

"Hnh... well, to answer your question, yes - Thel is also one of the oldest friends I have left," Viktor explained. "He was the first of the Holograms I created to be given sentience... which lead to others. But through it all, Thel was right there by my side. He's seen the best of me... and the worst."

"Which is why he warned me to be careful," Skye surmised. "He doesn't want you to have to leave another home behind. But what do you mean, he's the oldest friend you 'have left'? Do you not have others?"

Viktor's expression turned to one of melancholy. "No..." he replied simply. "All the others... didn't..." his voice trailed off. Skye immediately got the impression that was a sensitive subject.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I wasn't trying to push."

"Please forgive me if I can't talk about it," Viktor said almost immediately after Skye's apology. Skye said nothing further, and instead changed the subject.

"What kind of music do you like?" she asked.

Viktor chuckled audibly. "Remind me when we get to your house to show you my music library," he said. "I have my own collection of music. Hell, I have a collection of games and movies I both acquired and salvaged before I hit the star lanes."

Skye briefly considered asking what he meant by "salvaged", but decided not to press. Not ten seconds after, she pulled into her parents' house driveway. "Here we are!" she proclaimed. She got out, walked to the other side of the car, and helped Viktor out of the passenger side, and had him on his feet in time for Skye's parents to walk out.

"Welcome to our humble home," Jack greeted Viktor. "Can we help get your things inside?"

"Didn't think you'd have a choice, considering I'm not supposed to be lifting much of anything right now," Viktor replied. He picked up his rifle and slung it over his shoulder. "Not even supposed to be carrying this right now."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Military or Mercenary man, it seems - with evident honesty and tendency to speak his mind..." he commented. He paused, then smiled. "... I like that. I think we'll get along fine." He looked to Skye. "Why don't you get him up to your domicile - we'll grab his things."

"Uh, dad... all he had when I picked him up was his rifle," Skye said.

"My things are aboard my ship, but I can have them beamed down," Viktor stated. Jack raised his eyebrows as Skye and Viktor walked into the house.

"Beamed down?" he repeated. "You have working transporters?"

"Yeah," Viktor responded as though it were a foregone conclusion.

"Guess we should have figured that much - you did mention them before," Jillian scoffed. Jack paused, then nodded.

"That he did - I just forgot," Jack said.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Jillian chuckled, poking her husband in the side. Skye rolled her eyes as they began to ascend the stairs.

"They do that from time to time - you get used to it," Skye whispered to Viktor.

"I figured as much," Viktor responded quietly. Skye helped Viktor to one of the rooms adjacent to hers, and sat him down on the bed.

"Can we get you anything?" Skye asked.

"Iced tea, if you have any - water, otherwise," Viktor replied. "And I need to contact my ship."

Skye got the implication:  _ I prefer to contact them in private. _ She nodded, and headed down toward the kitchen, but was still able to hear him as he contacted his ship:

"Lord-Admiral Vasili to the  _ Iron Regent _ ... Cortana, have my stuff..." His voice faded out completely by the time she got to the kitchen.

"I have to say, Skye... Viktor is a lot different than some of your other other guy friends," Jack said. "And it's a difference I like."

Skye paused, completely taken aback, as she was reaching for the pitcher of tea. Her dad actually  _ liked _ Viktor? That was new. "What sets him apart from others I've known?" she asked as she got a glass from the cabinet and started pouring tea.

"For one, he fought to protect you from those Red Blades; second, he has a good career as a Starship Captain; third... you were able to get through to him in his combat-induced rage. That says something about you and him, whether you realize it or not," Jack explained.

"Well, you are correct on all three points - but as for the Starship 'Captain', that's not the rank his crew acknowledges - to his crew, he is Lord-Admiral," Skye said.

"You? Admitting that I am correct on something? That's new," Jack chuckled.

"Even so, dad - this is only the beginning," Skye said.

"I'm sure," Jack agreed as Skye took the glass of tea and started to head back up to her domicile. "... just the beginning, indeed," Jack mumbled when Skye was out of earshot. In the back of his mind...

... he hoped Skye was right. He hoped she had finally found her soulmate. And that that soulmate would finally give Skye the life she deserved...


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

The night following Viktor's arrival, Skye was restless. Sure, Viktor's presence presented new opportunities - but also a new sense of uncertainty.  _ I will advise you to be extremely careful; the Lord-Admiral has seen more than he lets on, and is far more scarred than he will admit. I do not wish him to be any more scarred than he already is, _ his XO had put it. Just what had Viktor seen that left him like that? It made Skye think - could whatever it was he saw or experienced make his eyes glow blue and radiate such a cold aura like that? Just what could cause such an anomaly?

Skye's sleep was abruptly ended when she woke to Viktor bellowing a terrified scream. She scrambled out of bed and rushed to his room, fearing he'd injured himself - or worse, that the Red Blades had snuck into the house and were murdering him again. She burst through the door, evidently startling Viktor and causing him to jump and fall off the bed. Skye rushed to his side, and helped him back onto the bed, where she realized he was sweating profusely and  _ crying _ .

"What happened?" she asked him, but Viktor just sobbed on her shoulder. She decided then to cradle him and let him cry. She had no idea how long he'd been sobbing, but it eventually subsided, and Viktor's breathing returned to normal. "Are you okay?" Skye asked Viktor.

"I'll let you know when I figure it out," Viktor said, his breath still trembling. "All you need to know... is that you don't live the life I lived and emerge... unscathed." He looked Skye in her eyes. "I have seen things... other mortals could not - and often did not - survive. And those things still haunt me."

"I won't be the one to force you to talk about it," Skye responded, "but when you're ready..." Skye placed a hand over Viktor's heart. "... I'll be here for you." Viktor nodded, and Skye helped him settle in under the covers, but instead of leaving, Skye remained seated next to Viktor, wondering what it was exactly that happened. She was certain he'd had a night terror, but she could not guess what it was he saw. But she knew it was something terrible. When she was confident he wouldn't have another night terror for a while, she got up and walked out of his room - only to run smack-dab into a human with slightly-pointed ears and blonde hair.

"I'm impressed," the pointy-eared human said. She stood up from leaning on the wall. "Few people can handle the Lord-Admiral like that. And even fewer can say they got him to open up that little bit that fast."

"Who are you?" Skye inquired.

"Admiral Sela," the human responded. "Well, the holographic version of her. I handle intelligence aboard the Lord-Admiral's vessel."

"I take it you came here because your crewmen detected Viktor was having a nightmare," Skye surmised.

"You're not wrong," Sela answered. "Viktor has seen a lot of things - wars, massacres, cataclysms... it's a wonder he's still sane."

"How does he keep going with a past harsh enough to give him nightmares?" Skye queried. "Did he ever try to hurt himself?"

"Many times, though that's not something he's gonna say openly. He tried many times over the last four centuries to kill himself - but he never succeeded," Sela explained, "As for what keeps him going... even  _ he _ doesn't know. It's something he's never been able to explain. Most any of us ever get is mention of his curse."

"You said  _ four centuries _ ?" Skye repeated.

"Hard to believe, isn't it? But he has logs going back that far. It's one way I think he held onto his sanity, when everything else burned and died around him. Even when his curse refused to allow him to die," Sela said.

"What is this curse of his? Is he undead?" Skye asked.

"It would seem that way - but it's a form of undeath none of us have ever come across mention of. As for what caused it... we don't know. The Lord-Admiral is notoriously close-lipped about it, but has mentioned it dates back to something that happened during the Final World War on his home planet, before he created us and left with us on our ship. He doesn't like to talk about it - only person who got more than the rest of us on the matter is Admiral 'Vadam, and he refuses to give details," Sela explained.

_ So he's a war veteran... that would explain the nightmares _ , Skye thought. "So how would I go about getting him to open up?" she queried.

"Just one woman to another... helping him see he is not alone here is a good start - take him out, introduce him to your circle of friends... make him feel like he's a part of your life. You already got him to open up a little - and that's a good thing. Bank on that. Make him feel like his thoughts matter, that  _ he _ matters. He's a good man, with a heart of gold - he's just scarred. Show him he means something to you, and he'll confide in you what he couldn't to us," Sela suggested. Her radio squawked, and she nodded, spoke, and beamed back, leaving Skye to ponder what she had said as she walked to her room, settled in on the bed, and went back to sleep.

**{{{{{ }}}}}**

The morning following Viktor's nightmare, Skye went in to check on Viktor to find him sitting on the edge of his bed. She sat down next to him and gave him a warm hug. "You okay today?" she asked.

Viktor sighed, "I'll live. Last night..." he paused. "... Last night was something I did not want you to see."

"I imagine it's not something you can hide from others," Skye said.

"No," Viktor admitted. "But at the same time, I didn't want you to see me like that."

"What, injured?" Skye inquired.

"No - emotional," Viktor clarified. "They flare sometimes - especially after my nightmares."

"Having emotions is not a crime, nor something to be ashamed of," Skye told Viktor. "Ask anyone who knows me, I can be emotional, myself, from time to time."

Viktor chuckled. "So we have that in common. Surprising, but I guess... not unexpected." He sat up to pop his neck.

"Hungry?" Skye asked. Viktor nodded.

"I could eat, sure - what's on the menu?"

"Well, let's go see," Skye suggested, as she helped Viktor to his feet. She carried him downstairs to the kitchen, where she immediately caught the smell of eggs and bacon.

"Good morning, you two!" Jack greeted them from the stove. "Hungry?"

"Yes, actually - you wouldn't believe how long it's been since I had fresh eggs and bacon..." Viktor said.

"Come on, can't have been that bad," Jack scoffed.

"Four hundred years among the stars, eating nothing but replicator rations... it'd wear on your patience. It did for me."

Jillian looked up from the counter. "Four hundred years?" she repeated. "You're joking."

"I only wish I were," Viktor grunted as Skye sat him down at the table.

"He's serious. I've spoken to one of his colleagues - he as personal logs going back that far. I've seen them," Skye supported Viktor, shooting him a subtle wink.

"You spoke to his colleague?" Jack asked as he turned to face them.

"My chief of Intelligence, actually," Viktor said. "You know already I'm a Starship Commander - the Lord-Admiral of my... 'faction'. Skye spoke with Admiral Sela when they both responded to me having a nightmare last night."

Jillian looked to Skye. "You went to his side after he had a nightmare?" she queried. She smiled. "That's sweet. Still, four hundred years... how did you cope with that?"

"He has his ways," Skye said.

_ "Admiral Sela to Lord-Admiral Vasili," _ came Sela's voice over a comm unit. Viktor tapped a few buttons on his gauntlet and responded,

"Vasili here - go ahead, Sela."

_ "Lord-Admiral, I have the latest shipboard reports - permission to beam to your present location?" _ Sela requested.

"Why would you need--" Viktor started, before his gaze landed on Jack. There was a good ten second pause before Jack said,

"Hey, it's your career - I sure as hell won't be the one to keep you from getting your reports, Lord-Admiral."

Viktor paused, then spoke to the radio, "Granted, Admiral." Moments later, that same blonde-haired woman Skye saw last night beamed in, holding a datapad in her hand. Skye dug into the fridge and got some orange juice, and poured it into a glass as Viktor read his reports.

"What was he having a nightmare about?" Jack asked Skye.

"He didn't say - and I didn't press. And neither should you," Skye whispered. "He has seen things others could not - and in his experience, often did not - survive. When he is ready, he will tell us."

"Sometimes, being ready requires a little push," Jack murmured to her.

"Not. Now," Skye hissed through gritted teeth.

"You're sure about this?" Viktor asked Sela, pointing at something on the datapad.

"If I wasn't, I would not have included it in the report, Lord-Admiral," Sela answered. Viktor shrugged, pressed his thumb to a pad, then handed the datapad back to Sela.

"Get on it - but do it subtle. I don't want any trace leading back to the  _ Iron Regent _ . Clear?" he told her.

"Crystal clear, Lord-Admiral. You forget, Viktor - I'm half-Romulan. 'Subtle' is my middle name." She stepped back. "Sela to the  _ Iron Regent _ \- one to beam back. Energize when ready." Sela was beamed up, and Jack finally spoke to Viktor.

"Something the matter?"

"Your government is starting my forces off easy - tasked us with eliminating a local cartel," Viktor said. "Not the most challenging task I've ever undertaken, but I gotta start somewhere. And for security's sake, I cannot say any more than that."

"It sounded like you didn't trust Sela to get the job done," Jack said.

"Jack!" Jillian scolded her husband.

"On the contrary; Sela's been a loyal and proven member of my command staff for years. Just that the last time we took on a criminal cartel, they nearly blew the  _ Iron Regent _ 's cover. Had Dukat and his crew not eliminated the holdouts, the intel would have been leaked to another cartel they were allied with, and we'd have had a bad riot on our hands," Viktor explained.

"You seem... awfully forthcoming with that information," Jillian commented.

"It's a past operation. Previous successful operations, I have no qualms discussing, provided they were not ordered stricken from the record. You can take them as you will. It's current running operations I don't discuss," Viktor said. Jack curled his lips and nodded.

"Makes sense," he remarked as Skye set the glass of orange juice in front of Tyler.

"The name - the  _ Iron Regent _ ... that's the name of your ship, isn't it?" she asked. Viktor nodded. "Why that name?"

Viktor shrugged. "That's the name I had in mind when I built it, and it stuck - that's 'bout all I can say," he responded nonchalantly. Before anyone else could lay any further questions on Viktor, a knock came at the door. Skye was the first to the door, and was greeted by Hane.

"Well, I wasn't expecting you to be first to the door," he chuckled. "How's our new friend?"

" 'Our' new friend?" Skye repeated.

"We all rescued him, we took him to the hospital - you took him in to your home. Might as well include him in our circle," Hane said. It reminded Skye of what Sela had said the previous night:

_ Helping him see he is not alone here is a good start... take him out, introduce him to your circle of friends; make him feel like he's a part of your life. _

Skye stepped back and invited Hane in. "Why don't you ask him, yourself?" she offered. Hane stepped in, and approached Viktor.

"If I could stand right now, I'd turn and face you, sir," Viktor said.

"Just call me Hane. I didn't get a chance to introduce myself when we met," Hane said, walking to Viktor's side where he could see him. He extended a hand. "Hane Maxwell."

Without hesitation, Viktor took Hane's hand in his own for a handshake. "Viktor Vasili," he responded with his own name. When he released his hand, Hane shook his hand about, as though Viktor gripped it too hard.

"Bit of an icy grip there, bud," he commented. Viktor looked at his own hand, briefly balling it before releasing it.

"Yeah... I... get that a lot," he said slowly. Skye immediately picked up on the pause, and, not wanting anyone to pry, spoke up.

"Hane, wasn't there something we were doing today?"

"Y-yeah, actually, we were meeting at the new drink shop - the one that opened just shy of the beach," he responded. He looked to Viktor. "Maybe you'd like to tag along?"

Viktor paused momentarily to consider this, then looked up at Hane. "So long as someone is there to keep me steady on my feet, I don't mind," he stated.

"I'll be there for you, Viktor," Skye assured him.

"I guess it's settled, then," Hane said. "I'll let the others know." He got out his phone and started making calls, while Skye sat down next to Viktor. Jillian was reading a newspaper, Jack was cooking.

"This'll be a good opportunity for you to get out, get a feel for this region," Skye told Viktor quietly.

"I know... but I have certain... reservations... about going out so soon. I'm still very weak from my ordeal at Amorous," Viktor said.

"You and I both know you can't die, if that's what you're worried about," Skye murmured.

"It's not me I'm worried about," Viktor said. "It's you. In this condition, I cannot fight."

"Viktor... we won't be alone; I have Hane and three other friends that are gonna be along for this, all of whom can handle themselves. That's what friends do - they're there for one another," Skye assured him. "On top of that, you have a ship of loyal allies; trouble strikes, they'll beam in to assist." Viktor paused, then nodded.

"... yeah. Yeah, okay, we'll meet you there," Hane finished before hanging up his phone. "Well, the others are gonna meet us at the drink shop. Viktor, can you stand?"

"As long as I have something to support myself on, yes," Viktor answered.

"I think it better if we all sat down at the drink shop," Skye suggested. "I don't want Viktor to use too much of his strength standing - he doesn't have a lot right now."

Hane understandingly pointed a finger at Skye. "Good point - he lost a lot of blood the night we met him." He offered a hand. "I can at least get you to my car." Viktor hesitated, then took Hane's hand. He helped him up, and he and Skye gently carried Viktor out to the car. Getting him into Hane's car was easy enough - Hane put him in the front passenger seat. Viktor buckled himself up as Hane got into the driver's seat, while Skye took the seat behind Viktor. Hane was quick to start the engine, and they drove to the beach area where the new drink shop was at. Lexy, Jacqueline, and Lunar were there, as well. Skye remembered how she met Jackie and Lunar - they were just starting out Cosplaying at a comic con when Hane saw Jackie. He was immediately starstruck. Admittedly, Skye wondered what got Jackie and Lunar into Cosplay in the first place; they openly admitted to be somewhat bitchy. But Hane and Lexy took them under their wings, and over time, they lost that bitchy edge, and became good friends. They approached the car, and Jackie was the first to notice Viktor as he got out of the car.

"So, this is the great Viktor Vasili?" she asked. Viktor didn't answer, staring out at the beach. In fact, when Skye saw his face, he looked as though he'd seen a ghost; his mouth hung ajar, and he shook violently. Jackie looked to Skye. "Is he okay?" she inquired. Before Skye could respond, Viktor started walking toward the beach, slow, jerky steps, as though his body was struggling to walk. He reached the sand, and used a nearby wall to support himself as he looked on the beach with evident horror. Skye immediately went to his side, and grasped him gently.

"Viktor, what's wrong?" she whispered to him.

"This beach... it... reminds me..." Viktor gasped between ragged breaths. Skye didn't need him to finish his sentence to realize he was having a flashback. She quickly turned Viktor around and guided him to a nearby table, where they were approached by a drink shop waitress, a canine. Noticing Viktor's condition, she pointed to him and asked,

"Is he alright?" Viktor's breaths were ragged and uneven, as though he'd been running from some horrible monster. It was then that two humanoids with pale skin and pointed ears beamed in, one male and one female, the male holding a medical kit.

"Lord-Admiral, can you hear me?" the female asked. Viktor heard this, and managed to lift his head and look at her. The female nodded to the male with the medical kit, and that man dug inside it and retrieved a hypospray. They held Viktor steady and injected whatever the hypospray was into his neck. The female then spoke, "Sir, I'd strongly advise you to return to the _Iron Regent_ \- at least--" Viktor cut her off, snapping off something in an alien language Skye didn't recognize. The female hesitated, then nodded. She stood up fully, then tapped a badge. "Satra to the _Iron Regent_... two to beam back." And in a sustained flash of green light, they were gone.

"Who was that?" Skye asked.

"That was my Chief Medical Officer, Subcommander Satra," Viktor responded calmly. "She must have detected my vitals were fluctuating, and came here to see what was going on."

Skye paused, and when nothing was said from her friends, she spoke, "You were having a flashback, weren't you?"

"Yes," Viktor said. "That beach... it reminds me of one I was at, long ago... the first battle I ever fought in." He paused to shudder.

"Well, no one is gonna make you talk about it now - we brought you here to get some fresh air, not take a trip down memory lane," Hane said cheerfully. This caused Viktor to smile, then weakly chuckle.

"I'll drink to that," he said.

"And speaking of drinks, what will you all be having?" the waitress asked.

"Got anything with chocolate and peanut butter in the same cup?" Viktor queried.

The waitress was beaming with a smile. "As a matter of fact, we do!" she responded cheerily. She jotted down the order, then got everyone else's order, and hurried off. While she was away, Skye placed her arm around Viktor.

"You sure you're gonna be okay?" she asked him, concern clearly evident in her voice. "You seemed like you were gonna collapse, earlier."

"I'll be alright," Viktor sighed. "Like I said last night... one does not see the things I've seen and emerge from the experience unscathed." He looked up at Hane and the others. "And if you're so curious to know, I'll tell you what Sela told Skye - I've seen many conflicts. Fought in them."

"You're a war veteran?" Jackie asked.

"You actually sound surprised," Viktor commented.

"My father was a war vet," Jackie explained. "Hane's uncle was killed in war... Lunar's mom was a combat medic; Lexy's dad met his mom in the service. We're not at all blind to the challenges war vets face."

Skye was shocked to hear all that, as she had no idea any of that was true. But she banked on it nonetheless. "See, Viktor? You're not alone. My father, too, served in the Army. Any time you need to talk... we're here for you."

Viktor's gaze wandered over the friends present. "So... you all come from military families. Rather like me," he said. "Then I don't need to remind you how dangerous flashbacks can be."

Hane shook his head. "Not at all," he affirmed. "But I support what Skye said: If you ever need to talk... we're here for you."

In the back of Skye's mind, she was grinning ear to ear. She felt she was making good progress with Viktor - and exactly as Sela suggested. All she needed was time...


End file.
